Showing posts with label Nago. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nago. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Todoroki (轟の滝) Waterfall During June 2018


 Back on the Travel Maps as an Attraction


Last year I visited this site along with a friend, who was touring Okinawa.

It was a big disappointment and, we didn't bother taking photos. The falls were bone dry.

The falls and surrounding area have changed drastically and, are a must-see spot, now.

In the near future, some photo of the remodeled site will be posted.

Some typhoons and tropical storms have been replenishing the water supply.

Hopefully, the waters will start raging again, like they did in 2013.



Friday, October 13, 2017

Shadanhojinhokubuchiku - Yow !

Hospital in Nago, Okinawa

Prettiest Doctor on Planet Earth



Scared to visit doctors, from previous experiences, I only use them when I have to.

The past few months, I hadn't been feeling well but, try to hide it.

Finally, I got half scared to death and decided, it would be a good time to turn myself-in.

Almost three years ago, I had been in this hospital for surgery. It's up in Nago, Okinawa.

They cut me open and installed some mesh, to patch a blowout in my belly.

It was fun, joking with the nurses and sneaking off the fourth floor, to get outside.

No smoking rules, forced me to ground level, past the mortuary, to get outside and smoke.

The doctor let me cut my visit a few days short because, I recovered so quickly.

Shadanhojinhokubuchiku is the hospital, I was in and decided to go back there.



Attorneys Love Things Like This



Those mesh patches, feel sorta funny, when installed in your pelvis.

After awhile, you get used to it and, life goes on, as usual. It beats being dead, I think.

Some gal back in the USA, won 57 million dollars because of a mesh lawsuit.

It seems Johnson & Johnson, got caught selling defective patches and has to pay, now.

The woman, had all sorts of problems, with the mesh and, felt like she was on fire.

Back around June, of this year, my mesh started burning, down there in my lower tummy.

Not really interested in becoming a millionaire, I decided to get a checkup.

What if, they quit selling that mesh in the USA and, sent some to Japan ?




Surgery, Orthopaedics, sign, hospital, Nago, Okinawa


Hospital Visit



Certain, I was about to be admitted, I traveled light. Just carried a few extra smokes.

All appointments, for the next few weeks, were put on hold.

Keys, a few hundred dollars, cameras and, other junk I usually carry, were left at home.

Just the wife and a daughter, drove me to the hospital. The dog I said, "Later Stinky."


When you check-in at the front desk, they decide, where to send you next.

This, I'll call station #4.  There must have been 35 people, who arrived before me.

Orthopaedics, I had to google. I figured, it had something to do with bones.

An hour wait at the front desk and, another hour stuck here. Groan.

Blood pressure, heartbeat and a few other things, eventually got checked.

Poor little nurse, couldn't reach high enough to measure my height so, I did it myself.

Once, they decide, which doctor you need, you get to wait another hour.

Soon, I started telling the wife and daughter, "It's a miracle. I'm cured. Let's go home."



Beautiful Woman Doctor



A gorgeous, late twenties, almond-eyed, long-haired, gal in a blue uniform, greeted us.

The wife comes along, to help with the hearing and translation.

She gets informed about my last visit and, pulls up all my records on the computer.

Meanwhile, I do stuff like, look at her fingers and, see there are no rings.

She has me, get up on a table for examination and, I had to pull my shorts down, a little ways.

She started poking around, looking for the scar, from my last surgery.

Sort of a gorilla, it took her awhile to find the spot. Then, she pokes around there.

"Does this hurt?" she asks.  "Yeah. That's why I came here. It  burns, like fire." I told her.

She wanted my pants down lower and had me raise my fanny up a bit.

Then, she pulled everything down to my knees and had me spread my legs.

Holy crap. The gal started, sticking her hands all over my crotch, probing and squeezing !

"Does it hurt here? How about, when I do this? Pain here?" 

"No, sweetie. You're making everything feel fine. It doesn't hurt down there." I told her.



Off to the Echo Chamber




The doctor determined, some sort of internal images, should be taken and, away we went.

"That gal's too young to be a doctor. She's cute. Did you see what she did to me?" I asked the wife.

"Why didn't you punch her in the face?" I said, while we walked to the next station.

The wife said, "She's a doctor, doing her job. Maybe, she's an intern. That's why she's young."

Well, I sort of enjoyed it but if, I saw some young guy, do that to you, I'd knock them out."

At the EKKO Station, the missus, waited outside and, I went in with a 3/4 good-looking gal.

She slapped some grease on me and, watched a TV screen, while rubbing a machine around.

Both sides of my pelvis got viewed but, she kept away from the Tinker Toys. Yeah !

Another hour or, two and, we got to see my favorite doctor, again.

The doctor, after looking at the pictures, said everything looks normal. I could go home.

Duh. My belly's on fire. That's not normal, to me !



Let's Try a CT Scan



That's one, I have never experienced and told the doctor. MRI, I've done some.

She said it was similar to an MRI, just a different machine.

They gave me some sort of transfusion machine, hooked-up and taped to my arm.

Took some blood and, pumped juice in me and, I'd have to wait an hour.

No eating lunch. Dammit, it was going on two o'clock and, I was hungry.

"No smoking," a gal told us. But, the wife whispered, "She said, one was OK."





Radiology, Japanese, hospital, sign


The wife, couldn't stay there in the room. "No problem," I told her.

In case, they spoke Japanese only, I could understand, "Hold still and, hold your breath."

The machine, was similar to an MRI, just smaller. It wasn't like going into a coffin.

The gadget, on my arm, got colored juice, pumped into an artery.

The machine buzzed and, I spent about half an hour on the table, moving in and out.

When done, they unhooked me and, when I stood up, felt like a drunk.

That's something I've become accustomed to so, it was easy navigating through the hospital.

The results of the CT were delivered back to the nurses at my doctor's station.

Knowing it may take another hour, I had the wife and daughter waiting and, got more smokes.

The lady doctor, finally had us brought in but, didn't feel me, this time.

After looking at all the evidence and, consulting with the big doctors, she knew.

The burning sensation is caused by some nodules. I can get pain killers.

Nope. I don't want some drugs, to numb my brain so, I won't feel the burning.

We settled on some medicine, that's like Vitamin B 12. I got a month's supply.

And, I have another appointment, with the lady doctor in two weeks, for a checkup.

When she asks how I feel, I'll say, "I don't know. You tell me."




Total Damages



The wife knows, I like to clown around and, is happy to have me home.

She told the daughter about my thrilling experience with the young lady doctor.

They both had a good laugh and, we went out to dinner, while in the big city.

With my Japanese health insurance, it cost about 150 bucks, for everything, yesterday.

It would have totaled over $17,000 if, I had no health insurance. Probably more, in the USA.

When I go back, I'll ask the doctor, "Could you add a little Viagra, to that medicine?"

Then, start dancing around the room singing, "I'm the Hoochie Coochie Man."



Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Sampling the Ultimate - "Sparky Burger"

Menu at Captain Kangaroo Burgers


Not for Calorie Counters



Returning from the expedition to Motobu and the Hydrangea Gardens, it was lunch time.

The Map It Okinawa dude and I decided, we'd check out Captain Kangaroo.

It's been almost five years, since the last time I'd eaten there.

Providing, the joint wasn't crowded with tourists, we figured, they'd get our business.

Disappointed with the last meal I had there, I gave them a 3 star review on TripAdvisor.

Just in case, they had a Bad Chef day, I promised to review the place again, in due time.



Food and Service Now 5 Stars



The building was probably, halfway full. Plenty of staff on hand, greeted us as we entered.

The airconditioning was on and, felt great, after having been outdoors all morning.

We figured, even if it was half an hour wait, for our meal, at least it would be comfortable.

My selection, off the menu, was the Sparky Burger and an order of fries.

There was even enough time, for me to go out front for some nicotine replacement therapy.


Sparky Burger, fries, bacon and lettuce


It was 1:07PM when I snapped this photo with the smartphone. It's a huge meal.

The wooden stick, poked through the burger, must be 6-7 inches long.

No way, was I going to try picking that monster up, for a bite at a time.

I asked the waitress if, I could have a fork and knife and, she hooked me up.


My guess, would be, the difference between Sparkies at 900 and 1000 Yen is the burgers.

Once, I pulled the wooden sword out and started chopping, I couldn't tell.

A pile of  crispy baked onions, lettuce, bacon and tomato, were the first things I saw.

Hacking away with the knife and fork, revealed lots more, meat and sauces.


Map It Dude, was done eating his regular sized burger, way before, I got done.

My hamburger meal, looked like some sort of  Smorgasbord salad, the way I did it.

The whole plate was covered (overflowing) with my grunting, carving, slurping and burping.




Here's what my plate looked like at 1:33PM. I could have done better.

A few specks of meat, were left on the plate so, they wouldn't feel like I was going home hungry.

Licking the dish clean, would have been fun but, I didn't want them to think, I was an animal.

If, there aren't a bunch of pretty women and children in there, next time, we'll give it a try !



Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Melody Road Got Me Thinking - What a Beautiful Day !

Melody Road Sign


Little Confession First



Always busy, doing something, I don't spend as much time, hunting thieves, as I should.

There's a service I use, called Digimarc which, tracks any photos I post on the internet.

They get about 100 bucks a year, to help me nab folks, who think my images are for free.

It's nice, to think people are honest and, I still believe, most humans are, that way.

Well, I got lazy and, haven't checked Digimarc for a long while. GUILTY !



Three Companies Swiped this Photo




Some photographers would become highly enraged to learn their images were being used.

We're talking about businesses taking images and using them commercially on their websites.

There's a road in Japan, that makes music, as you drive over it and, I SELL ASPHALT.

LOL I got to thinking and, had to dig up this tune on YouTube:






Kind of a goofy old tune from the movie Oklahoma but, this melody is what, I'm singing.

It really is a beautiful day outside and, I don't want to write some long legal letters.

So, I sat here smiling and typed up some real simple letters to the criminals.

"Dear Sirs, I am the copyright holder of that photo, taken on Melody Road in Okinawa.

We can discuss payment for the licensing of the image via (My email address). Classified.

If, my photo is on your website, any longer than, the next 48 hours, I hope you're doing well.

Hopefully, business is fantastic and you are some sort of millionaire. YAY

Because, my attorney and I, are gonna get a bunch from you."


For the Spanish site, I added something a little extra:

"Contact me and, we can discuss payment in English or Spanish.  My Spanish is horrible.

But, the lawyer dude, on vacation at the moment, can handle your language, just fine."





Melody Road in Futami, Nago, Okinawa



It's been a few years since, I've rode along with someone on that highway.

The last time, was with the wife and, we got stuck behind someone driving too slow.

The recommended speed is 40 and, they were only doing 20 kilometers per hour.

The wife said the tune sounded like me, when I'm drunk and singing karaoke.



Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Cockroach: The Beginning of a Terrific Day

dead cockroach

It Doesn't Take Much to Make Me Happy

 

 

Things were looking grim this morning.

The message, I got from Doc, said he would be a little bit late, for our camera shoot.

So, I decided to do some chores around the office.

When the trash was taken out for the truck that comes around, I spotted this out front.

A DEAD COCKROACH

Yahoo !  I've been needing a cockroach for weeks.

And, here's the kind, I prefer.  It's dead but, not squished.

Careful not to touch it, I got it in the office and took some natural light shots.

Then, the remains were (respectfully) deposited in the trash.

Now, I don't have to go looking for cockroaches, dead or alive, anymore.


white egret,bird,Kin Dam, pampas grass

Before 10AM, Doc and I were at the Kin Dam, shooting birds.

November, has to be one of the best months of the year, for being outdoors in Okinawa.

The mornings and evenings are cool and, the sun feels great; warm but, not scorching hot.


duck, water lilies,Nago 21st Century Forest

Before noon, we wound up at the 21st Century Forest in Nago.

And, spotted this lone duck, swimming among water lilies.

We don't usually make travel plans on our weekly camera shooting day.

Just look at the sky and try to predict the weather, then follow our five senses.

Does that make any sense, to you ?

statue, girl, pigeons

Every once in awhile, something like this, shows up in front of our lenses.

It's a statue of a young girl, holding pigeons.

There has to be a story behind this scene so, I shot it, while a cloud passed overhead.

Heart Stone, Kouri-jima, island, tourists

No camera shooting day would be complete without getting sand between our toes.

So, we headed over to Kouri-jima and, discovered lots of tourists.

They were all visiting the beach to see a special rock.

Heart Stone, Kouri-jima,Okinawa

This is something that, I saw on Japanese TV over the past week.

People are flocking, probably, by the thousands to see this.

They call it the Heart Rock.

Hah !  It looks like a big slingshot, to me.

Maybe, my imagination got all used up, somewhere along the way.

But, if it draws travelers and tourists, I guess it's a good thing.

Heart Rock T-shirts, Heart Rock Cafe ?

Think of the possibilities.


Blue Seal Ice Cream, Nago

Doing what we call, Island Hopping, can make a person hungry.

When we got back to Nago City, Blue Seal Ice Cream, seemed like a good place to visit.

characters, statue, Blue Seal, Nago City

They had a character in there, that looked older than me.

It never dawned on me before, that they served pasta in an ice cream parlor.

Chicken spaghetti and New York Cheesecake Ice Cream, what a lunch.

While we were there, I shot some photos for a TripAdvisor review.

And, I checked the place out closely.

No cockroaches.






Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Travel Photo: Todoroki Waterfall (轟の滝) OCT 2011

Nago City, Todoroki Waterfall,Okinawa

Camera: Pentax K5

Lens: Pentax 18-250 at 18mm

Location: Nago City, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time: OCT 17, 2011 at 10:13AM


More About Todoroki in the Then and Now Series







Friday, June 6, 2014

Hydrangea Flowers and a Tiger Dog All in One Day

blue hydrangea flowers

Sueyoshi Garden in Nago Today

 

 

Flower lovers, this is one place you shouldn't miss, if you enjoy the great outdoors.

It was nice and sunny so, we headed for a trip to the hills.

flowers and rocks

It was around noon, when we arrived.

Not, the best light for photography unless, you wait for some passing clouds.

rock garden and flowers

That gave me an excuse, to take my time, climbing up the hills.

blue and white hydrangea

Normally, I'm in a hurry to get the flower photography done.

But, when I get to this garden, other things have to be accomplished, too.

ocean view with flowers in foreground

One of them, is getting a wide angle scene with flowers and ocean in it.

pale blue and white hydrangea

It's fun to try and single out different colored flowers for close-ups, too.

flowers and rocks

Putting a rock in the scene helps sometimes.

It's isn't just for texture.  It helps block the wind, from shaking things.

pink hydrangea

These pinkish looking things caught my eye as I was heading back downhill.

So, I shot them quickly, because I started getting in a hurry.


Flowers Are OK -- I Like Dogs Better

 


dog, Ryukyu Inu

This is Tora, the tiger dog.  He's really a Ryukyu Inu.

For about three years, now, I've visited the tiger dog and, we always make friends.

But, he keeps forgetting who I am and acts like he doesn't trust me.

It was like he was saying, "Nope, I ain't moving out in better light for you."

"And, I ain't giving you my paw, either."



So, I went crawling around on the ground and, moved the camera to get a better shot.

This is one cool dog but, I know I can get better photos.

It just takes awhile for him to get used to me.

He forgets who I am, every year.

Before we left, he gave me his paw and, he must have thought my hand was a dog biscuit.

When, I grabbed the paw, to shake hands, he started munching on me !

Maybe, I should visit the Sueyoshi Garden more often.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Travel Photos: Things Looking Up at Sueyoshi Garden

There's a Brand New Cafe in Nago, Okinawa, Japan

 

Today, up in the hills of Nago, we found a cool place to stop and get out of the humidity.

The wife and I went to see the hydrangea at Sueyoshi Garden.

After snapping a few hundred photos, I was fried.


Coming back down the hill there is an orange-tiled roof, over what looks like someone's mansion.

It is called the Hydrangea Cafe.

The air-conditioning felt so good, I figured we should stay awhile.

We ordered a couple of iced coffees and I asked if it would be alright to take some photos.


Looking up, here is what you see.

In case you were wondering why the Sueyoshi family lets me roll around on the floor, I'll tell you.

It's because they have seen me rolling around on the ground outside.


Whenever I go there, I spend more time with this dog, than I do looking at flowers !

If you had to chose between Architecture, Dogs or, Flowers, what would be your favorite subject ?


SUEYOSHI GARDEN BLOG

Hydrangea Caf'e on Facebook




Thursday, March 21, 2013

Flower Photo: Yellow Water Lily

Found in Nago City, Okinawa, Japan

 

Today was a fun filled day traveling around the island of Okinawa.

We saw some old friends and made a few new ones.

Map It Okinawa dude and I even went over to checkout some other islands.

Everywhere we went, things just clicked.  I can't remember when was the last time I had a day like that.


This yellow lily was the last photo taken today.

When you've had a great day, it's best not to spoil things by squinting at computer monitors.

So, I'll be leaving you with this yellow flower and going uptown for awhile.

Did you know beer spoils, even in the fridge, if people don't consume it fast enough ?

Other things that need to be tended to are waiting.  I'll be back.....



Monday, November 5, 2012

Learning About the Dance Called Ushi-deeku



Ten More Photos from an Ushi-deeku

 

 Researching this cultural event in northern Okinawa, Japan has been interesting.

Depending where you are on the islands, the name of the dance may be different.


 Usudeku, was the search term I used initially because that's what I was told the dance was.



 And, I learned that women, only, perform the ritual, while I was shooting the event.



 A local newspaper had a, Oct 2012 article on Chibana Usudeku.

They say the purpose of the dance is to kick out evil spirits and have a good harvest. 


 
Chibana is a long way from this village, located in Nago.

So, I pulled my Okinawan-English dictionary off the shelf and looked for "Usudeku".

It wasn't there.



Back up north, I went to see what more I could learn about the ritual.


The friendly people in the village office gave me some printed information.


That's when I noticed (ウシヂーク) Ushi-deeku is what they call the dance.


Thanks to the University of Hawai'i Press and the

Okinawan-English Wordbook we have this information:

"Ushi-deeku, n. A woman's group dance, with hand drums and singing, to express gratitude for a 

rich harvest, usually held on the fifteenth day of the eight lunar month".



The words Usudeku and Ushi-deeku may be interchangeable, or not.

The more you research, the more you find.

Today, I found a YouTube video of Usudeku on Kudaka Island.

There is a lot more to be learned about this dance.

We will go out there and getterdun, one of these days.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

After Typhoon Sanba: A Quickie Photo Essay


All is well on Okinawa, at least where we checked today.

The RyukyuMike house is still standing and has electricity.

The office was a different story. Power went out for awhile today.

So, I grabbed a camera and checked out the northern end of the island with Map It Okinawa.


With power outages passing through Kin Village we didn't have to stop for any red lights.  Hah !

So, we drove, very carefully to see the Kanna Dam in Ginoza.


The dam was full to the brim with good old country water.


Out on the back roads there were a few trees knocked down.


We ventured over to the other side of the island on HWY 58 going to Nago.

They still had some stormy seas from the typhoon's tailwinds.


Up around Ogimi Village we had to take a detour because of a landslide.

No photos of that.  A dedicated Japanese Policeman made sure we didn't get close.

Somehow, our journey took us to the Taiho Dam so, here's what it looked like.

Plenty of drinking water is available, a few fallen trees, some minor landslides is what we saw.

Now, I have to get the heck out of here because I'm two days late for the wife's birthday party !


Visit my website for today's Feature Photo






Saturday, January 28, 2012

2012 Nago Cherry Blossom Festival A 12 Photo Essay


Here it is, fresh off the Nago Mountain from today's visit to the 2012

Nago Cherry Blossom Festival.

These 12 photos should give you an idea what the Sakura (桜) are looking like this weekend.

This year happens to Nago City's 50th Cherry Blossom Festival.

Locally, it's called's Sakura Matsuri.


Climbing up, I have no idea how many stairs, I stopped plenty of times to take pictures and it's sort of a challenge  shooting photos without any people in them.


But, I really don't mind waiting for the right split second to get the shots I want.

That gives my legs a chance to rest.  Mountain climbing just isn't my favorite sport.




Everybody wants their picture taken with the Sakura flowers.


Those pink blossoms really stand out from the background.


We had some great weather today.  It felt almost like summertime.


This scene was shot at what I'm guessing is the halfway point.


After walking this far, I decided I had more important stuff to do.

So, I entertained everyone getting ready to take pictures of these cherry blossoms in front of stone lanterns.  

I made them wait until I cleaned the spiderwebs off the plants.


Then, I took a little detour off to the left to shoot this bridge.

Last year it was cloudy and raining at the Nago Sakura Matsuri.

So, I figured this photo was more important than climbing a bunch of stairs.


Coming back down the mountain I shot some more photos with downtown Nago in the background and cherry blossoms up front.


This little Japanese White Eye bird (Mejiro) showed up and I had a devil of a time getting focus on him.  They move around pretty fast.  I think when the trees are all in full bloom those birds get drunk, or something from sniffing the sakura.  I'll go back again next week  and get some better Mejiro shots with Big Bertha, my Sigma 50-500MM LENS.

The 2012 Nago Cherry Blossom was a blast for me but, I wish I'd have read the

 OKINAWA LOCAL TOUR GUIDE'S BLOG before I climbed that mountain.

I WOULD HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THE FREE SHUTTLE BUS THAT DRIVES YOU UP THERE !